Who is Whom?

A student raised his hand in class today and inquired about the use of whom. He asked if it is one of those words that has fallen out of the English language since he rarely hears it. I told him, au contraire . . . the word is alive and well – many just don’t know how to use it appropriately. There is actually a simple little trick for understanding which word to use!:

Who vs. Whom

Who is that behind the mask?

Use who (or whoever) when I, he, she, we or they could take its place.

Who and whoever are nominative forms.

Example:

Who is in charge of the redundant meeting? (She is in charge of the redundant meeting.)

Whoever said she couldn’t write?

He said she couldn’t write.

Use whom (or whomever) when me, him, her, us, or them could take its place as a direct object or object of a preposition in the whom clause.

Sorry, but I am still not sure about this. If I write a sentence about identical twins and say, “The only way I could tell who is whom is …” Or is it “who is who” or “whom is whom.”? I think it is “who is whom.” I will appreciate your advice. Thanks. David Peckham

No need to apologize, David. This can be confusing! The correct answer is: “The only way I could tell who is who is. . .”

The reason for this is simple. “To be” verbs such as “is” act as linking verbs and are always followed by either subject predicates or subject adjectives. They are never followed by pronouns in the objective case except in informal speech. Example: “Hi! It’s me!” However, as right as “It’s me” sounds, the true correct form should be “It is I.” (In essence, the “to be” verbs act as equal signs.)